


Midsummer Romance

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 17:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Ariana takes Rania on a date to the Midsummer festival. Ariana belongs to inappropriatestarstable on tumblr.





	Midsummer Romance

If there was one thing that people could rely on about Ariana, it was that she rarely changed her outfit. Maybe she was too lazy, maybe she was too busy, maybe she just liked the outfit that she always wore. Or maybe she could wear whatever the hell clothes she wanted, Lion, fuck off.

So to see Ariana walking into the stable wearing a Midsummer dress, white pants, a flowercrown, and little dress shoes, was definitely a surprise.

“Who are you and what have you done with Ariana?” said Lion, staring at his rider.

“Shut your mouth, Lion, you’ll catch flies,” said Ariana, ‘gently’ smacking the bottom of Lion’s jaw. His jaws clicked together. “And fuck off, I can wear what I want.”

“I hope you’re not going to dress me differently as well,” said Lion, watching as Ariana walked over to the tack room. “Ariana?”

“Sorry, what were you saying?” said Ariana, emerging from the tack room with flowery tack. Lion lowered his head with a snort.

“I’m not going out in that,” said Lion, backing away from Ariana when she entered his stall.

“Go ahead and jump over me then, if you’re game,” said Ariana, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Yeah, go on, try,” Antibelle called from deeper in the stable. Lion pinned his ears but stood in place.

“That’s better,” said Ariana, laying the saddle pad over his back. Lion moved his head around, trying to prevent Ariana from putting the bridle on (it had small flowers stitched into the reins). But at last, Ariana shoved the bit into his mouth and bent to pick up the saddle, which also had flowers stitched into it.

“I feel ridiculous,” said Lion, his head lowered and ears still pinned.

“Cheer the fuck up, Lion, we’re going somewhere,” said Ariana. “And I don’t wanna be late.”

“I’m not going anywhere looking like this,” said Lion.

“Well, tough,” said Ariana, swinging herself up into his saddle. “Wait, shit, forgot something.” She dismounted again, running over to her wardrobe. Pulling the door open, she rummaged around the top of her wardrobe for a moment before she found the somewhat crumbly item that she sought.

“No,” said Lion, rearing up at the sight of the flower crown that Ariana carried. 

“Lion!” Ariana chastised him. Lion snorted, turning his head away but remaining still while Ariana fastened the flower crown to his bridle. She stepped back with a smile. “There, now we match.”

“I hate you,” said Lion.

“I know,” said Ariana, this time mounting him and turning him to walk out the stall door. Somehow, despite his protests, Lion allowed Ariana to ride him out of the stable and into the stableyard.

“Oh, of course,” said Lion when Ariana rode him through the Mistfall tunnel. “Now I know why you dressed up.”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Lion,” said Ariana, despite the heart in her throat and the butterflies swirling through her stomach. She always felt so much happier, so much lighter, when she rode through the lush greenery of Mistfall. With the ocean on one side and green hills and lush trees on the other side, it truly was a beautiful place, even just along the coast. Though, it wasn’t just the sights that Ariana came here for.

“Wait a minute,” said Lion, finally spying a single floral wreath hanging off a sign. “Is it Midsummer?”

“What gave it away?” said Ariana with a roll of her eyes. “Why did destiny stick me with a horse as dumb as a brick?”

“Why did destiny pick me at all?” Lion agreed. “Why can’t I just graze in obscurity, Ariana, why?”

“Yes, that’s what we all wonder,” said Ariana. “Especially me. Now shut up, we’re getting close.”

“That just means that I can say whatever the hell I want and you can’t reply,” said Lion with a nicker. Ariana rolled her eyes, but she smiled as they got closer to the house where her heart resided (she’d never dare tell anyone how she felt, least of all Lion, he’d have a field day).

“Wait here,” said Ariana, dismounting Lion in the Varangers front yard and checking herself over before she walked up to the front door. Even though Rania wouldn’t be able to see what she looked like, she still wanted to make a good first impression and look good for her. Besides, she’d probably see Sigry, and she didn’t want to look like a slob in front of her girlfriend’s mother. She was already scared enough of Sigry as it was.

Feeling a thrill of excitement rush through her, Ariana knocked on the front door and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. It didn’t take long for the sound of footsteps to approach, and the door opened to reveal the imposing figure of Sigry Varanger.

“Hi, Sigry,” said Ariana, straightening up without even realising what she was doing. “You look very nice today.” For once, the woman was wearing something different, and it wasn’t the formal attire that she wore when in office or when doing councilwoman duties.

“Thank you,” said Sigry, touching the flower crown that encircled her head. It was decorated with flowers that grew native to this valley. “You look ready for the festival yourself.”

“Yeah, I figured I’d dress to look the part,” said Ariana, glancing down at her dress. “And thank you.”

“So, you’re intending on taking my daughter to the festival, are you?” asked Sigry, folding her arms in front of her. She suddenly looked stern, and Ariana suddenly felt very small and very young and very dirty.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Ariana, nodding. “I’ll have her home by whatever time you want her home by, and I’ll do my best to take care of her.”

“My daughter doesn’t need a caretaker,” said Sigry, frowning.

“Oh, sorry,” said Ariana, blushing. “I just meant that I’ll make sure that she doesn’t get hurt or anything.”

“Good,” said Sigry. “And don’t worry about having her home too early, I’ve heard that some people camp out at the festival grounds so you can do that. Despite knowing of your past, I trust that you won’t do anything untoward to my daughter.”

“You heard about that, huh?” said Ariana, looking down at her feet. “Yeah, I thought you would.”

“As long as you remain faithful to my daughter and don’t view her as another conquest, I will allow you to date her,” said Sigry. “However, I will insist on tests.”

“Oh shit, yeah, I’ll get those done really soon,” said Ariana, her cheeks suddenly flaming. “N-not that I’ve even thought of doing that stuff with her, I mean, I love her, but I’m gonna wait until she brings it up first, y’know?” Sigry chuckled.

“Of course you haven’t,” said Sigry.

“Mama!” said Rania, suddenly appearing behind her mother. She didn’t use her cane much inside, knowing her way around the house by heart by this point. “Stop scaring my date.”

“Only doing my job as your mother,” said Sigry, moving aside so that Rania could greet her date. Ariana stepped inside, beaming at the sight of Rania. Suddenly, all of her worries and fears vanished, like the sun clearing away clouds.

“Hi, Rania,” said Ariana. “You look beautiful.” Not that she looked any different than usual (Rania wanted to make her flower crown at the festival site), but to Ariana, Rania always looked beautiful.

“Thanks,” said Rania, grinning. “I’m sure you look beautiful too. You smell like the road, and fresh air, and also horses and some wheat?”

“Yeah, I came here from Jorvik Stables,” said Ariana. “There’s a wheat field outside the stables. Two, actually.”

“Maybe you can take me there someday,” said Rania. “If mama lets you.”

“Maybe someday,” said Sigry. “If you’re well-behaved.”

“Maybe this date can prove to you that I can handle a visit to somewhere outside of these mountains,” said Rania. 

“Maybe,” said Sigry, walking over to her daughter. She stroked Rania’s hair, fluffing up her fur stole (it was faux fur, of course, Rania loved wolves and would never want to wear one as clothing). “You take care of yourself, okay?”

“Mama, I’ll have Dellingr and Ariana with me, I’ll be fine,” said Rania, giving her mother a smile. “But just in case, I’ll call you every so often with updates. Including when we get there.”

“That puts my heart at ease,” said Sigry. “I hope you have a lovely day.”

“You too, mama,” said Rania. “You and the doc have fun while I leave the house to you.” She winked, and Ariana had to stifle a laugh.

Outside, Ariana watched as Rania first found Dellingr’s tack, then put it on, then tightened the girth and ensured that the reins were the right length. It always amazed her, the ease with which Rania was able to get her horse ready for a ride, even without the benefit of sight. Maybe they shared a special bond, which was highly likely, this being Jorvik. Ariana ignored those thoughts for today, however, choosing instead to just enjoy the day with her love.

“Let’s get going,” said Rania once she’d swung herself up into Dellingr’s saddle and gotten comfortable. Ariana nodded, finding Lion and mounting him too.

“Let’s,” said Ariana, and set off at a walk. There was no rush, after all, and she’d have to lead Rania once they crossed the bridge over the Silversong.

“So you’ve really never been to the Midsummer festival?” asked Ariana as they rode along. To Lion’s relief, Dellingr was focusing on the road and not on the horse that he’d once hit on.

“Not the big one,” said Rania. “Mama was always too frightened that I’d ride off a cliff or something, even with Dellingr being my eyes. Or she thought someone would make fun of me, and she was always just too busy to go. She helped with the smaller ones we used to have in town.”

“Used to?” Ariana echoed. “Why not anymore? New Hillcrest has one.”

“Well, after what Skoll did, most of the town’s money went towards cleaning up his messes,” said Rania. “And keeping mama’s election promises, of course. But maybe next year we’ll have one, or at least some floral wreaths. I used to love making them.”

“Well, there’s a wreath-making station at the festival, or so I’ve heard,” said Ariana. “We should make wreaths there together.”

“I’d love that,” said Rania, smiling. “And then you can smell of flowers too.” Ariana felt her heart flutter in her chest. 

Finally, the two of them reached Moorland, Ariana guiding Rania into the fenced-off area that held some tents, a stage where a band played, so many tables, and, of course, the wreath-making station.

“Wow, I’ve never been here before,” said Rania, taking a deep sniff of the air. “Wow. Bonfire and flowers and grass and lots of horses, and I can faintly smell the ocean and…” Now her nose wrinkled. “Ew, a building site? Gross.”

“Well, it’s a better smell than the oil fields, that’s for sure,” said Ariana. “But don’t worry, there were going to be condos built here but Lion and I stopped GED. Bravest thing he’s ever done.” Lion protested loudly, but only a whinny passed his lips. Rania laughed, though.

“Well, we can’t all have super-horses like Dellingr, I guess,” said Rania. “There’s so much to do here, what are we going to do first?”

“Let’s dress the part and get some flower crowns,” said Ariana, dismounting. “Here, I’ll lead you over. Good thing the ground here is pretty flat.”

“That does make things easier,” said Rania, carefully dismounting and extending her cane. She tapped it around the ground, taking Ariana’s hand once she found her. Ariana smiled, her heart beating just a little faster.

They walked over to the wreath-making station easily, Rania being guided by the strong scent of flowers and leaves, and Ariana had to resist the urge to help Rania. But Rania touched each flower, feeling it and sniffing it to determine if it should go in the wreath. Ariana was so busy watching her girlfriend that she screwed up her first two attempts, finally deciding to concentrate so that she could just make a damn flower crown already.

“You have eyes, how does mine look?” asked Rania, presenting her finished flower crown to Ariana. It was a mix of all of the different flowers available, but it didn’t look crowded or chaotic or messy. All of the flowers somehow worked together in harmony.

“It’s beautiful,” said Ariana. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m your girlfriend.” Rania grinned, the sight dazzling Ariana so that for just a moment, she forgot to breathe.

“Thanks, I’m glad that I haven’t lost my touch,” said Rania, placing the crown on top of her head. Ariana helped to straighten it, ensuring that it sat properly and wouldn’t fall off. Really, this flower crown put Steve’s to shame. This entire festival put Steve’s to shame.

“You definitely haven’t,” said Ariana. “I might have to ask your mama if she has any photos of the previous years’ Midsummer festivals.” Rania nodded, then gasped.

“Oh, shoot! I completely forgot to ring her!” said Rania, quickly grabbing her phone out of her pocket and unlocking the screen. “Call mama.”

While Rania spoke to her mother, Ariana finished up her own flower crown and then slipped it on, hoping that it would stay put and that it didn’t look too bad. She’d mostly used flowers gathered from the Mistfall area, purple blooms that seemed to hold just a little bit of magic. Or maybe that was just the way that Rania made her feel.

“Check-in with mama done,” said Rania, putting her phone back into her pocket. “Now wha… is that the Little Frogs song?”

“I think it is,” said Ariana, glancing at the Midsummer pole where people were already hopping around it like, well, frogs.

“I love that dance!” said Rania, her face lighting up. “Come on, Ariana!”

Ariana laughed as Rania grabbed her arm, somehow managing to run over to the pole without crashing into anyone. There, they got into the correct position and danced like frogs. Ariana felt absolutely, completely, ridiculously stupid (Lion informed her that she did, indeed, look as stupid as she felt), but she couldn’t keep the grin off her face as she danced. Maybe it had a lot to do with how happy Rania looked, or how good she felt. Or maybe it was just the Midsummer mood.


End file.
